Manage Delta's oil-derivation revenue prudently and honestly — James Onanefe Ibori

Total tracked

Kept

Partial / mixed

Broken

Kept

Partial / mixed

Broken

In progress

Governance

Complete two civilian terms and hand over peacefully

Kept

The promise

Implicit in contesting as Delta State's first elected governor of the Fourth Republic: serve out the mandate and sustain civilian rule.

Assessment

Ibori was elected on the PDP platform on 9 January 1999, re-elected in 2003, and served two full terms to May 2007, handing over to his chosen successor Emmanuel Uduaghan without a break in civilian government.

Governance

Manage Delta's oil-derivation revenue prudently and honestly

Broken

The promise

To administer the large revenues flowing to Delta State — one of the biggest beneficiaries of the 13% oil-derivation formula — for the benefit of the state.

Assessment

Ibori was later found to have diverted Delta State funds on a large scale. UK prosecutors put the sums stolen at around US$250 million; a 2010 charge alleged embezzlement of about ₦40 billion. In 2012 he pleaded guilty in London to ten counts of money laundering and conspiracy and was sentenced to 13 years; a UK court in 2021 ordered him to pay roughly £100 million back to Nigeria.

Governance

Meet the constitutional and eligibility requirements for office

Broken

The promise

Implicit in standing for and being sworn into office: that the candidate is who and what he represents himself to be.

Assessment

Ibori was sworn in in 1999 on the strength of a false birth certificate and passport originally created for a London mortgage application. He also had an undisclosed UK criminal record from the late 1980s, when he was convicted over theft while working as a cashier at a Wickes DIY store in Ruislip.

Development

Deliver development across Delta State

Broken

The promise

To convert Delta's status as a high-revenue, oil-producing state into infrastructure, services and jobs.

Assessment

Ibori pleaded guilty in a London court in 2012 to money laundering and conspiracy to defraud Delta State, admitting £50 million (prosecutors alleged around $250 million) and receiving a 13-year sentence; UK courts later ordered £101.5 million of his assets confiscated. Delta's sharply higher derivation revenues over 1999–2007 are remembered in the record for their diversion rather than for documented development.